Causes of Domestic Violence between Thai Muslim Married Couples in Satun Province

Causes of Domestic Violence between Thai Muslim Married Couples in Satun Province

Article excerpt

Abstract

The objectives of this qualitative study were to investigate causes of domestic violence between Thai Muslim married couples in Satun Province. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with three groups of key informants in Satun Province consisting of 1) twenty women facing domestic violence who were admitted in Satun Hospital through the One Stop Crisis Center (OSCC), 2) fifteen married husbands and wives using domestic violence recommended by the Community Mosque Committee, and 3) ten religious leaders. To analyze the data, content analysis was performed using logical comparison with concepts, theories, and research coupled with the context. It was found that domestic violence between Thai Muslim married couples in Satun Province stemmed from five important causes. 1) jealousy and suspicions, 2) alcohol and drug abuse, 3) lack of physical and mental readiness for building their own family, 4) lack of activities contributing to caring and understanding in the family, and 5) husbands' values and belief in male dominance.

Keywords: cause, domestic violence, Thai Muslim married couple

1. Introduction

Domestic violence has long been an important problem in Thai society to which importance has not been given either in terms of solution or prevention even though the problem has been increasingly more severe and affected many related individuals. The reason for this is that Thai society usually regards domestic violence as a personal matter of families that people outside cannot interfere, and as only violation of human rights. That is why domestic violence is a hidden and complicated problem that is difficult to prevent and to solve (Kamkanakul, 1997; Promrak, 2007; Laeheem, 2014). Domestic violence is negative behavior against each other between family members that is more severe than only feeling unhappy or feeling that arises from irregular emotion that has been accumulated including experiences and the thinking process of individuals in response to different environments. Thus, domestic violence can develop from conflict between family members (Malley-Morrison, 2004). Domestic violence is a pattem of acts of injuring the other person physically, violating the person sexually, and mentally hurting between family members, especially husband and wife (Kongsakon & Pojam, 2008). It is related to conflicts and severe acts against each other of family members which makes it difficult to prevent because some people in society still believe that clashes and conflicts between family members are normal for all families. As a result, the problem is usually managed when conflict has already become violence (Sanprasit, Boonprakob, Kongsakon, & Intarakamhang, 2011).

Several studies showed that the prevalence of domestic violence between married couples is very high. For example, Kuning (2003) found that 33.6 percent of women in Pattani province, Thailand reported that they had suffered emotional abuse, 25.9 percent had suffered physical abuse, and 36.6 percent had suffered sexual abuse. Archawanitkul and Im-am (2003) reported that 41.0 percent of women in capital Bangkok and a province in Thailand were being abused. More specifically, the study stated that a quarter of these abused women initiated physical assault against their husbands. Both males and females are likely to take actions as aggressors. Sopikul (2006) august that in the past year, about 65.0-70.0 percent of both male and female confessed committing violence acts (male=65.3 percent, and female=69.4 percent). In accordance with the results, 72.9 percent of the male spouses committed violence acts while 60.2 percent of the female spouses committed violence acts. The incidence of marital violence in the study shows that females committed a greater number of violence acts. Laeheem and Boonprakam (2014) presented the domestic violence statistics in Thailand of the Centre of One Stop Crisis (2011) and the Centre of Violence against Children and Women and Domestic Violence Information (2013), which showed that there were 22,639 cases of women seeking asylum at the One Stop Crisis Center in 2011. …